Strong Hands
by m0nalisat0ldalie88
Summary: Madison Grey was pretty much a loner. No family. No friends. No boyfriend. She worked then spent hours home by herself. That is until she finds herself in a Sons company night after night. What if their casual encounters put her in danger? Will the Son step up and keep her safe? Or will he discover her secret? AU. Rated M because its a SOA story.
1. Chapter 1

Strong, calloused hands moved over her body taking in every curve, every birthmark, and every scar. Soft lips left trails fire where they touched skin. His breathing was labored signaling his upcoming release. Madison shifted and the man above her groaned in satisfaction as he finished. Rolling off and collapsing beside her the man breathed deeply before searching for his cigarettes in the pocket of the pants that had been unceremoniously discarded on the floor next to the bed. Madison lay quietly waiting for the cigarette that he always offered. It was like a weekly routine, more so almost every night lately. First she would hear the pounding on the door then he would come right in. Half the time they never made it to the bedroom, only on occasions when she had already been in there or close enough by. Clothes would be torn off and passion ensued. Once finished he would light two smokes up and hand her one. Sometimes he spent the night, others he would return to the club house or home. She never knew what he would do. It surprised her a few times that when she woke he was still there next to her. Once or twice he had even been holding her. She never expected it of course. They were hardly friends never mind actual lovers. He needed someone to make him feel and that someone ended up being Madison Grey.

She couldn't say she minded it all that much. She hadn't been looking for anything serious in terms of relationships, hell she hardly had any friends as it was. That first night when he had showed up on her doorstep she had been terrified. Madison knew the Sons Of Anarchy MC wasn't something to screw with so when she opened the door to find him looking down at her with something in his eyes she almost screamed. But something kept her from doing so and let him into her small home. It didn't take long for her to realize what he wanted. The looks he was sending her way as she sat on the couch across from him in nothing but short fleece shorts and a tank top had been one huge "I want to fuck you" sign. Which of course Madison was happy to oblige.

This was going on two years now and didn't show any signs of slowing down or stopping. No one knew what was going on and Maddie didn't intend on anyone finding out. Their arrangement was one without feelings, without commitment. So of course the first morning that he stayed the night she offered him breakfast, not sure how the protocol was in this case. He said no, but that didn't stop her from offering every morning. For two years the answer was no but two weeks ago he finally changed him answer. He had even kissed her cheek before he left. Things were changing and it was making Madison uneasy.

"Thanks." She spoke softly as she took the cigarette and placed it between her lips. Inhaling the toxic smoke deep in her lungs the brunette sighed in content as she blew it out. He grunted in response and out of the corner of her eye she could see the cherry glow brighter as he sucked down the smoke. They sat like that quietly until both were done. Without a word she stood and crossed the room to her bathroom without bothering to cover up. Things had been beyond that point in a long time. Switching on the shower Madison climbed in and let the hot water cascade down her body. There would be bruises, always were. He always gripped her too tightly when he was in a particularly needy mood. Tonight had been one of those. She couldn't complain though, it was always worth it. The sound of the doorbell had her jumping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her slim frame. "Who is it?" She asked her kind of lover. He held up a finger to his lips and that's when she saw the gun in his hand.

"Stay behind me until we get to the door. Answer it without opening." He said gruffly. Madison wasn't going to argue with that. They made their way to the door and she stopped in front of it.

"Who is it?" She called, her voice shaking.

"Madison Grey? Can you open the door so we can talk?"

"It's two in the morning, what do you want?" She tried again.

"Darlin' we need to speak with you." The voice hit the man's ears and he sighed. "We know Opie Winston is with you."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I promised an Opie story so I figured I'd write one. I can't promise it will be any good but I'll try. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I noticed a lot of you do the same for my other stories and I really love that you are reading my stories. Thank you so so much!

Madison finally opened the door and let the Sons in after arguing with whoever was on the other side of the door and slipping into a pair of sweats and t shirt. She wasn't excited about letting these people into her home nor was she excited about people knowing about her and Opie. Grumbling under her breath as the men filed in and closed and locked the door she made her way into the living room, waving a hand at the furniture to tell them to sit. The cute blonde one thanked her and they shuffled into the room. Maddie walked away and into the kitchen without a word trying to get a grip on things. She started going through the motions of making coffee figuring it wouldn't hurt to be hospitable even if they did just barge in at two in the morning. She prayed her neighbors didn't see them. Madison was waiting on the second pot to finish when Opie walked in. "Babe, we gotta talk." Madison sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Kinda figured it would end at some point. Have a nice life Opie Winston." She replied without turning to face him. Once the coffee finished dripping from the machine she filled the last of the cups and carried two in each hand to the living room. She handed them out before turning to grab the last of them. "Grab the cream and sugar please? And a spoon?" She asked Opie who still stood next to the counter watching her. With the items in hand he walked into the living room and found Madison sitting in a chair that had been pulled over from the dining room. It was in that moment that he realized he had never been in that room in her house. Taking a seat next to Jax once again on the couch he folded his hands in front of him, his eyes on Madison.

"Thanks for the coffee darlin'." Jax took a sip of his before putting it down on the coffee table. "You are probably wondering why we showed up like this. A few of us have actually known about the two of you for quite some time. It doesn't matter to us unless it becomes an issue for the club. And tonight it has. We received a threat about a few of our Old Ladies and you were on that list." The room was deathly silent. The only sound was the ticking of the clock and Madison's heart beating hard in her chest.

"I'm not an Old Lady." She argued. "There has to be some kind of mistake. Maybe you could just tell these people that?" Jax shook his head.

"Sorry doll but in their eyes you are and there isn't telling them any different. There are a few things we can do. First, we can take you to the club house the rest of the Old Ladies and put you under lock down until this is resolved. Or we can set you up somewhere new under a new name. Or we could just let you fend for your own and hope they don't find you." Madison chose to not argue about the Old Lady thing again. She had gotten her point out the first time. There really was no point in fighting the issue again. To say she wasn't scared would be a lie. She was terrified to know that she was a target but she wasn't going to show it.

"Just leave me here." Her voice was low but loud enough to be heard in the silent room. "I'll take care of myself." Opie jumped from his chair and yelled.

"No! No, you're coming to the club house. You'll stay there. You can't just sit out here like a pig for slaughter." The burly biker was furious, scared even. Madison was never supposed to be a part of the mess that the Sons frequently found themselves in. It's why he never brought her to parties or introduced her to his best friend. It didn't take long for Madison to jump up from her seat and point a finger at the man.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do! Look at this goddamn ass fucking! You promised I would never be in this shit. Get out! Everyone get out!" Madison was screaming and if she didn't stop the cops would be showing up any minute. It took Opie two seconds to cross over to her and grab her around the waist. He dragged her kicking and screaming up the stairs to the bathroom and tossed her right into the tub before blasting her with cold water from the shower. The guys downstairs were in a mix of shock and laughs at the sounds of the young woman and the biker.

"What the fuck?!" Madison screamed and made a lunge but Opie had been expecting it and snatched her up, dumping her right back into the tub. This time she grabbed his shirt and pulled her down with him. Madison hadn't given thought about how much it made hurt to have a heavy man land on top of her and she yelped out. Opie propped himself up over her with one arm.

"Stupid idea huh? Cut this shit Mads. You need to go to the clubhouse with me." The cold water had made both of their skin red and Madison's lips were beginning to tiny blue.

"Why? Why does it matter so much Ope?" Her teeth were chattering now and he began to feel guilty. With a mumbled "fuck" he pulled himself up and shut the water off. When he offered his hand to Madison she shook her head, defiance and anger burning bright in her eyes. Holding in another shouting match Opie reached down and lifted her from the tub. Water dripped off their clothes and on to the floor and all Madison could think about was how the bathroom was going to smell like mildew if it wasn't cleaned up. Snatching a towel that was sitting on the hamper she dropped down to her knees to try and soak some of it up.

"Mads..." Opie sighed. Grabbing a towel from the rack he reached down and yanked her up by her arm. Wrapping the towel around her shoulders he pulled her to him and just held her. Madison was shaking now. Her whole body convulsing to the point Opie was scared she was having a seizure. With very little effort he scooped her up and brought her to the bed and began stripping her of her soaked clothes. Once she was in only her undergarments he then wrapped the comforter around her shoulders. "Babe, listen, just hear me out." He kneeled down in front of Madison and took her freezing hands in his and squeezed. Her responding silence gave him the go ahead. "You know this is exactly what I didn't want to happen, but it has. I am so sorry. Just please come with me and let me keep you safe. If we can't get this shit squared away in a month tops then you can go home and I won't bother you anymore." Madison squeezed his hands tighter.

"Ope..." She trailed off not wanting to confess that she wasn't ready for him to just step out of her life. She cared for him. She wasn't supposed to but she did. When did things change for her?

"Please?" He looked up at her, one of his hands releasing hers to tuck her wet hair behind her ear. Subconsciously she leaned into it. Opie caught the tiny action and dropped his hand.

"Okay. I'll go." She whispered. Opie didn't say anything, just leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Yanking a suitcase from the closet Opie began dumping clothes into it, only stopping to toss her a pair of yoga pants and a t shirt. As he went around the room grabbing clothes and slipping on his cut Madison changed her clothes then moved to the bathroom. Using towels she began cleaning up the mess of water. Opie stopped shoving clothes into the suitcase entered the bathroom. "Babe, I'll have one of the prospects do it."

"No, please just...just let me." Madison needed the normalcy of cleaning the bathroom in this really screwed up moment. Leaving her to it he walked down the stairs with the suitcase and dropped it by the door. Jax stood and walked to his best friend.

"So what's the decision?" It was getting late and he really needed to get home to Tara and the boys. He had already moved them to the club house but he still didn't feel comfortable being even a few blocks away.

"She's coming. What the fuck happened man? How did you even know where I was?" Opie sat down in the chair Madison had been sitting in and scrubbed his hands over his face tiredly.

"We don't know Ope. We just got a nasty email targeting our women. Brother, I've known about you two from the beginning. When you first started disappearing for nights I tailed you in a cage from the garage. I saw you stop at the house. At the time I didn't know whose house it was and I just shrugged it off. I had just wanted to make sure you weren't in some kinda trouble. I finally realized who you were spending your time with when we were at the store picking up stuff for Ma and we passed Madison. She kept walking right by you, eyes on the floor but you wouldn't stop staring at her. You never look at anyone like that. Not even the Croweaters. And that was a huge tip off bro. You stopped looking at them. Stopped spending nights or even a few minutes with them. The guys had started to think you were switching teams." Jax let out a light laugh and Opie chuckled. "I don't care who you are with and if Madison makes you happy then there ya go."

"We are just friends." Jax shook his head in disbelief and clapped a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Sure bro." And with that he signaled the guys to get going. "Meet you at the clubhouse." The men filed out and soon enough the sound of bikes roared away from the house. It was a few minutes Madison came downstairs with her arms full of sheets.

"We have sheets there."

"I want mine." Opie gave up knowing it would only end up another battle and he was too tired for it. He watched as Madison put the sheets on the suitcase and came to stand next to him. "How did they know? We've always been careful. You've always parked your bike in the back. You never called." Madison felt deflated and tired as Opie shrugged at her question and stood.

"Dunno. Come on. Let's get out of here." After another small tiff about Madison riding in her own car without Opie or a prospect the two were on their way. She didn't need to follow him. Everyone knew where the Sons were located. Pulling into the lot she realized this was the first time ever. Everyone always went to the Teller-Morrow garage for inspections or tune-ups while Madison would either do the tune-ups herself or go to the garage that was run by a sweet older man in the town over. Once the car was parked Maddie cut the engine and sat there wondering if she should try to run. She didn't belong here. She didn't belong in this lot never mind staying in the clubhouse. Before she could make a decision Opie was opening her door and helping her out. On hand wrapped around her arm, the other holding the suitcase and sheets he led her inside. Everyone stopped talking; the only sounds were coming from the juke box now. All eyes had shifted to the couple who had just walked in; more so on the female accompanying Opie. Madison felt small in their eyes. Even more under the eyes of Gemma Teller. Madison knew her from the one decent shoe store they had in town. She had bumped into her a few times but hardly spoke to her. To be quite honest, Mother Samcro terrified her. She had seen Gemma swing at a woman with a skateboard. She knew the woman was capable of a lot worse. Finally a young woman with dark hair holding a baby came forward and smiled at her.

"Hi I'm Tara. I'm Jax's wife and this here is Thomas." The woman looked at the child in her arms like a proud momma. Madison tried to smile back. "Abel is asleep so you'll meet him tomorrow. I'm sure you are exhausted. I'll show you to your room so you can get some rest." Madison nodded and reached out for the suitcase but Opie pulled it away.

"I've got it." Madison's hand dropped to her side and she timidly followed Tara down a hall and up some stairs.

"This is where the dorms are. A lot of the guys from the other MC's will stay here. We've cleared a few out for the women." Madison had no idea what she was talking about but nodded anyway. Finally stopping at a door Tara opened it and walked in. "This one is where you will be staying. I am only two doors down on the left. If you need anything at all let me know. There are fresh sheets and towels." Her eyes moved to the ones that Opie had but quickly moved back to Madison. "I'll let you get settled." She hugged Opie on her way out and shut the door. Madison plopped down on the edge of the bed and dropped her head in to her hands. Surprisingly Opie put the suitcase down and sat next to her.

"It will be fine. It won't be for long." Lifting her head from her hands she looked at him and stood up. Shedding her shoes she climbed in between the sheets and laid down. "You aren't changing your sheets?" Madison shook her head.

"Tara said these are clean and I am too tired." She closed her eyes and snuggled down into the sheets. The sinking of the spot next to her had her eyes snapping open. "What are you doing?" She asked. Opie looked at her like she was crazy.

"This is my room."

"Oh." She almost wanted to suggest she find a new room but she couldn't get herself to do so. She was too tired. Closing her eyes it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

The sound of Madison's breath evening out signaled she was asleep. Opie looked over at her. She looked so calm now and he felt guilty for dragging her into such a mess. With a sigh he flipped on to his side so he could keep an eye on her. It was weird being in a bed with Madison and not doing anything. He was so used to them being strictly physical. He had to admit he did care for her a little but he didn't lover her. Madison always told him she didn't do friends but that's what they were wasn't it? It's not like they only screwed when they saw each other. Occasionally they talked nothing too personal but silly things like cartoons or food. Opie didn't want to stress it. It wasn't even a big deal. But the fire in her eyes when they got into the fight in the bathroom, he had never seen that before. She was like an entirely different woman. She could have easily passed as Samcro in that moment. But she wasn't Samcro. She wasn't a club woman or an Old Lady. She was just someone he went to for one thing. Relaxing a little Opie closed his eyes and tried to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: The responses have been remarkable and I thank you all! Instead of putting peoples names in here I am going to reply to you directly. SO PLEASE log in before you review so I can thank you personally._

Opie had been awake for nearly an hour now just watching Madison as she slept. He knew it was creepy but she just seemed so calm and looked much younger than she was. He was taken aback by the urge to pull her close against him and just hold her. With a sigh Opie flipped to his other side and climbed out of the bed. It was still pretty early, only seven according to the red digital numbers in the alarm clock sitting on his night stand. "Fuck man, why am I up?" He grumbled and rubbed his eyes. The movements woke Madison up and she groaned softly as her eyes tried to get used to the sun light already peering in to the room. Opie turned and looked over his shoulder. "You can probably go back to sleep. It's still early and I doubt anything will happen until later." Her green eyes focused on his and she nodded.

"Doubt I'll sleep any more. Once I'm up, I'm up." Madison pulled herself to a sitting position and she looked around the room. It was virtually bare, which was why she was a little confused as to why Ope had been climbing into the bed. Save for the gun on the nightstand and a few papers and an ashtray the room was void of anything personal or anything signaling this was someone's room.

"Not what you were expecting?" Opie asked as he slid back in to the bed. His hand yanked out two cigarettes and he lit both at one time. Releasing one from his mouth he handed it to Madison, her fingers brushing against his. Despite the callouses on his fingertips the backs of them were smooth to the touch. Madison inhaled the smoke before answering.

"There's not much in here." She commented.

"I don't stay here too often. A lot of my stuff is back in the apartment I share with Juice and Chibs." This was the first Madison was ever hearing about Opie's life outside of the bedroom. He never spoke about the club or the other bikers. He never spoke about what happened to his wife and children. Opie never spoke to her about a single personal thing and in return neither did she. "It gets a little crowded there sometimes but it's a decent enough place."

"Why have a room here at all if you have a place?"

"Well glad I have one now huh?" He smirked at her. "Jax has a room here too. A few of us do but these are mostly for visiting club members from another charter." Madison nodded not really knowing what a charter was.

"Do you…how do you think people are going to react about me being here? I mean, I'm not an Old Lady or even your girlfriend. How do I fit in to all of this?" Madison didn't want to beat around the bush. She almost wanted to just hole up in this room until everything was over but she knew she was going to have to come out eventually. She knew about the Croweaters and hang arounds. She had seen them often enough in the parking lot during a party as she drove by. She knew about Gemma Morrow. Everyone in town did. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about meeting her. Hell, she was nervous about being in the same room as her. Last night felt like hell.

"Dunno. Some of the girls are gonna give you a hard time, say shit that's gonna either make you cry or hit them. The rest of the guys won't say shit. They'll treat you with respect because if you weren't a friend of mine then you wouldn't be here." At the word friend Madison looked at Opie. They never gave what they had a label. Was there honestly a label describing what they were? "What?" Opie saw the look on Madison's face and felt panic rise in his chest. Did she not want to be friends?

"Nothing….nothing. I just didn't know we were friends. I mean I didn't know friends…did what we do. I just…" Madison shook her head and suddenly became very interested in the cigarette in her hand.

"We don't have to be if you don't want to. I just figured we were." Opie put his cigarette out then handed the ashtray to Maddie to do the same. Once it was out she handed the ashtray back and sat quietly for a few minutes. Opie started wondering if he had said the wrong thing once again when she finally spoke.

"We…we can be friends." She turned and shot him a small smile. "But a special kind of friends." Opie smirked and nodded in agreement. The room grew hot as Opie leaned over and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He bit down on her bottom lip as she slid beneath him, her legs instantly wrapping around his hips. He groaned into her mouth when she pushed her pelvis up into his. One hand tangled in her hair, the other slowly slipped down her body and stopped at the top of her yoga pants.

"Yo Ope, early Church." Jax could be heard behind the closed door banging on it loudly. Opie stopped his attack on Madison's lips and sighed. Madison held in her own sigh of disappointment and let her legs fall on to the bed.

"Sorry. Better get up and dressed." He heaved himself off and started digging through his clothes. There wasn't time for him to shower so he stripped down quickly in the room and began pulling on clean clothes. Despite what they had just been doing Madison blushed as Opie stood before her naked. To distract herself she started pulling out clothes from the suitcase and walked into the bathroom. Opie slid in behind her to brush his teeth as she pulled off her dirty clothes and dropped them in a pile on the floor. "Those are clean towels." He commented, the tooth brush hanging from his mouth.

"Thanks." Madison quickly slid in to the hot spray and began massaging her hair.

"Just come out when you are done. Tara will be out there with the kids." He called to her then left leaving her alone for the first time in the clubhouse. Madison didn't want to take too much time in the shower so she rushed through it, disappointed in finding only axe shower things. Well it looked like she would be smelling manly today. Freshly clean and clothed Maddie ran a brush through her hair and took a deep breath as she left the room. She could smell food being cooked somewhere and she traced her steps from the previous night. Once she walked into the bar she wanted to turn and go back upstairs. There were a few women lounging around in almost no clothing staring at her. One leaned over and whispered to the other and they both laughed in her direction. Before she could take off Tara appeared with a baby in her arms.

"Madison! Come on we are just making breakfast now. It will give you a great opportunity to meet the others while the men are in Church." She smiled and waved her over. Madison nodded but had no idea what Church meant here. She highly doubted it was anything remotely to what she did when she went to Church which was maybe three times a year. She shuffled over to Tara feeling over dressed in her skinny jeans and t shirt. I mean these women glaring at her had almost nothing on at all. Making their way into the relatively small kitchen Madison was greeted by Gemma and a few other women. Gemma stopped mixing what looked like pancake batter in a bowl and walked towards her.

"So you're Madison Grey." She squinted, her eyes traveling every inch of Madison's face and body. She felt like she was undergoing an exam and this one she was sure she was going to fail.

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am. I'm not old enough for that." Madison nodded, fear apparent in her eyes. Gemma found her to be plain, skittish, too much like Tara when she first came here with Jax. "What's going on between you and Ope?" Madison swallowed and her eyes shot to Tara for a moment. Tara said nothing but gave her a small smile.

"We are just friends."

"Just friends don't get threatened by a club's enemy." Madison didn't know what to say about that so she didn't say anything. "I will find out what's going on. He's like a son to me." Her threat was clear and Madison nodded as Gemma strode out of the kitchen. Tara immediately came over to her.

"I'm sorry about that. When it comes to Gemma just let her ask and answer truthfully."

"I did. Opie and I are honestly just friends. We discussed it this morning." Madison brushed past Tara and picked up the bowl Gemma had abandoned.

"You are something more than a friend Maddie, whether or not you two will admit that." Her voice was low so only Maddie heard it. The women finished making the breakfast just in time for Church to let out. All of the men grumbled about how hungry they were and hooted at the sight of food laid out along the bar. After the men grabbed their food the women grabbed theirs. Madison stood behind the bar with a pancake rolled up in her hand. She was letting her eyes scan around the clubhouse just watching everyone interact. Her eyes stopped on Opie and one of the croweaters as she leaned in giving him an ample view of her tits hanging out from her shirt. One of her hands gripped his thigh tightly. When the bleached blonde looked up and saw Madison watching her she moved her hand up further so she was almost touching him. The smirk on her face made Madison see red but she had no right to be upset. Right? Shrugging like she didn't care she grabbed another pancake and made her way over to Tara and the boys.

"Hey Madison, sleep well?" Jax asked her as she approached. She smiled and sat down next to Able on the floor.

"Yes thank you."

"You okay? You look a little rattled." Jax took a seat on the floor in front of Tara, close enough that Madison wouldn't have to talk loudly.

"Yea just not used to all of this." Her eyes shot to Opie and the croweater. Her blood boiled when she saw Opie whispering something in her ear before nipping at her neck. Her obnoxious laughter rang out and Madison wanted to tear across the room and punch her. Jax followed her gaze.

"Oh shit Mads. Look Ope…" Madison held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm not with him. We are only friends so I really have no right or reason." She smiled and turned her attention fully to Abel who was writing his alphabet on a piece of paper. He held out the crayon to Madison.

"I can't remember the R." Madison took the crayon and scooted him and the paper over so he was sitting in her lap.

"It looks like a P but with another line, kind of like a tail." She drew out the R and handed the crayon back to Abel. He copied what she had done then smiled up at her.

"I did it!" His excitement made her giggle.

"You did and it looks great." She rested her lips against the top of his head and sighed.

"You are really great with kids Maddie." Jax smiled at her.

"I had a son once. He didn't see age six." She said sadly. The smile on Jax's face dropped and he looked at Tara who looked heartbroken.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"No one really does. This was a few years ago now. I don't usually tell people. I knew it was going to happen."

"What do you mean by that?" Tara asked as she handed Thomas to his daddy.

"Leukemia. Cancer ran very high on his father's side. He developed tumors when he wasn't even a year old. They couldn't subject him to chemo yet and they spread quickly. They gave him until the age of three but he surpassed  
it. At the end he wasn't my little boy anymore. Only a shell. When it got to the worse of it they put him in a medical induced coma so he wouldn't know." Tears had filled her eyes and she swiped at them.

"Don't cry Maddie. He's in heaven now with Kip and Uncle Piney." Abel stood and hugged her. She laughed a little and hugged him back. She assumed he meant people from the club.

"I just get a little sad sometimes when I think about how much I miss him." Abel sat back down in her lap and started writing again.

"Kip and Piney are from the club right?" There was a look shared between Tara and Jax.

"Kip was…a friend when he was a baby. Piney was Opie's dad." Madison felt a pain in her chest and she pressed her hand to her mouth. Her eyes shot to the big biker and she wished they hadn't. Opie was groping the croweater who was now sitting in his lap. Jax looked over and stood up ready to say something.

"Jax no. Just leave it alone." Madison begged. She could see him grind his teeth debating.

"Fine. Tara let's bring the boys out for a little while. They can go on the swings or something." Madison stood and helped Abel up, being sure to put his crayons and papers on a table so no one stepped on them. Abel took her hand and led her over to the playground which was encased in a fence. Thomas was placed in the baby swing and Abel started climbing the ladder to the little clubhouse and slide.

"Come on Maddie! Play with me up here! We can be spies!" His enthusiasm was contagious.

"Sweetie Maddie might not…"

"Oh no it's fine. I'd love to play spies with him." Madison cut Tara off with a smile. Tara waved her hand in a go ahead gesture and Madison climbed the ladder. Jax was on the outside of the fence smoking a cigarette.

"Maddie you get to be Agent 2 because I am Agent 1 okay? We are gonna spy on daddy. He's a bad spy and he stole the secret necklace that has magic powers." Madison crouched down next to Abel and peered out between the wooden slates at Jax who was oblivious. She held in her giggles and nodded.

"Like really cool magic powers?" She played along.

"Wicked cool. Like we can be invisible if we wear it!" Madison gasped.

"That is the coolest! How do we get it back from the bad spy?"

"You can distract him and I'll sneak up and steal it okay?" Madison nodded and Abel smiled. "Okay let's go. Remember you need to make sure he doesn't see me." Abel slid down the slide and turned to wait for Madison to follow. Madison held her knees up near her chin as she went down. Standing up she brushed her jeans off and followed Abel towards the door to the fence of the playground. He made a thumbs up at her and she walked over to Jax.

"Hey Jax." He came closer to the fence and put his cigarette out.

"What's up Mads?"

"So we are playing spies right now and you're the bad spy. You stole a necklace with magical powers." She filled him in quietly. Looking over at Abel sneaking up behind Jax she spoke a little louder. "How are you doing today?" Jax shook his head and laughed before lifting a black cord with a reaper on the end over his head and holding it behind him. Abel snatched it and ran back to the door of the gate.

"Maddie I got it!" She rushed over and picked him up in her arms.

"Yay mission accomplished! You my little friend are a terrific spy." He slipped on the necklace and looked at her expectantly. "Oh no! Abel where did you go? I can't see you." She joked.

"I made cookies!" Gemma called out from the doorway of the clubhouse.

"Cookies!" Abel yelled and squirmed to be let down. He took off across the parking lot. A few pop sounds had Gemma scream and Tara snatch Thomas from the swing and duck. It only took a few second for Madison to realize those were gunshots and she took off next to Jax. Madison ran ahead of Jax and snatched Abel, pulling him into her arms. Another group of shots rang out and Madison hit the ground covering the boy with her body. There she was in the middle of the parking lot with no cars nearby to hide behind as Jax and a few others shot back at the van. She lay on the ground holding Abel tightly as he cried into her shirt.

"It's okay baby. It's okay." She kept repeating until after what felt like forever Jax and Chibs rushed over and pulled her off the ground. Jax grabbed Abel from her and began checking him for wounds and only came up with the little bit of scraps from the pavement. Sighing in relief he gathered his crying son into his arms as Tara came rushing over. Madison was hardly aware of Chib's hands checking her over for wounds of her own until he hit a spot on her arm and she hissed.

"Ya got shot Mads." He grabbed her shirt and tore the sleeve from her shoulder. Madison shook her head.

"No. I couldn't have. I didn't feel it." She argued but when she saw the blood she knew he was right. A bullet had gone right into her arm an inch and a half from her shoulder. Her fingers grazed the wound then pulled back covered in blood.

"We need ta get it out luv." He started leading her towards the doors of the clubhouse. Gemma whisked by her to get to Abel nearly knocking her down. "It's safe now. Some of da men went after them." He told Madison as he brought her into the bar and sat her down in a chair. He said something to Juice but Madison couldn't make it out. There was a buzzing in her ears and everything felt too hot.

"I think I'm gonna pass out." She wiped at her face smearing the blood on her fingers across her cheek.

"Hold on luv. Take this." He handed her a shot glass filled with an amber liquid. Without asking what it was she tossed it back and groaned at the burn. "One more." He refilled it and she tossed it back then splashed her arm with some of it. Madison cried out as the alcohol burned her wound and she tried to get away from Chib's arms that were holding her down. "'Appy get ova here and hold her." He shouted over his shoulder. A bald menacing looking biker walked over and Madison flinched as he walked behind the chair and held her down. "This is gonna 'hurt like a bitch but I need ta get the bullet out." Chibs spoke softly to her as he slipped on a pair of gloves. She was crying now but managed to nod her head. The alcohol was beginning to take effect making things a little hazy.

"Another shot. Please." She begged. Happy let her go only long enough to hand her the bottle. Drinking right from the bottle she sighed and forced herself to be still as Chibs pulled a chair up next to her. The tweezers dug into her skin sending searing pain straight through her body. Madison screamed and struggled against Happy but she didn't budge from that chair.

"What the hell is going on?" A voice yelled from across the bar. Madison turned her head and found Opie storming over to them. Chibs took the distraction to his advantage and dug in again earning yet another scream.

"Bullet in her arm Ope. I hafta get it out." Opie's eyes landed on the wound then the tear stained face of the girl in front of him. He kneeled down and took the bottle from her hands handing it off to someone. His hands took hers and he squeezed gently.

"Come on babe. It's almost out. Just squeeze my hands okay? Focus on me. When this is all over we'll go for a ride." He promised her with a small smile.

"No offense…I'd rather get drunk." This earned a laugh from the guys.

"Okay we'll get drunk. So drunk that we don't remember our names okay?" Maddie nodded and screamed again.

"Almost luv. This is going to be worse. Just stay as still as possible. One more." Madison was shaking and crying hard now. She nodded and grasped Opie's hands as tight as she could. Gritting her teeth against the pain Opie nodded at Chibs and he went for it again. Opie leaned up and pressed his lips against hers hard trying to distract her. It worked a little and Chibs was able to get the bullet. Opie pulled back and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" His hands released hers and moved over her face wiping away tears and blood.

"I know you are going to say you need to stitch it up Chibs so please just get it done." She eyed him wearily and he sighed. He hadn't wanted to tell her. He felt bad enough already. "Bottle." She demanded and Opie handed it to her. She tossed it back twice before handing it to Chibs and steeling herself for another splash of liquid pain. It wasn't as horrible this time, having gone through much worse when those tweezers were in her arm. The first few hurt like hell but eventually she had gone numb with alcohol. Opie had to take the bottle away when she started chugging from the bottle. Once he was done Happy released her and Maddie stood. The alcohol rushed to her head and she fell forward into Opie.

"Alright, shower time." He effortlessly picked her up and carried her upstairs. Freeing her from her damaged clothes Ope helped Madison into the shower. She stood there as he washed her up and washed her hair. Deeming her clean he helped her out and got her into some clothes. As Madison slowly slid into the tank top she finally spoke.

"Where were you?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When that all went down out in the lot where were you?" She saw the muscles in his jaw tightened and shook her head. She knew damn well. I hope it wasn't in this bed." She commented and shoved past him. He wasn't hers but while he was busy screwing Barbie she had been shot. Madison, now sobered pretty much, made it into the bar before anyone spotted her. Tara rushed over to her and gently hugged her.

"Oh my god Maddie…I….thank you…" She was a mess of tears and stuttering. Her eyes landed on the stitches stark black against inflamed skin.

"Don't okay? Don't Tara. I would have done it either way. He reminds me a lot of Jamie. Abel is the sweetest little boy. All I could think of was that I needed to get to him. I didn't even know about the shot until Chibs touched it. He's safe. I'm safe. Don't cry." She pulled the woman into a hug and sighed. "Come on, I wanna see how he's doing." Tara nodded and wiped the tears away. With an arm around Madison they walked further into the bar towards where Jax was holding Thomas as Abel sat staring at a grilled cheese and French fries on a plate. "Hey buddy what happened to those cookies grandma was shouting about?" Abel's chin dropped into his chest and he looked at his hands in his pockets. Madison took a seat next to him and leaned down. "This looks pretty good. Can I have a fry please?" Abel reached up and grabbed a fry then handed it to Madison. She smiled. "Thank you. Would you like one?" She popped the cry in her mouth. Abel shook his head. "Aww come one buddy whats wrong? We beat the bad spy and got some really awesome food and I bet you I could find those cookies if you want one." When Abel looked up at her his eyes were fill of tears and it broke her heart.

"You almost went to heaven with Kip and Uncle Piney. It's my fault you got hurt." He cried. Madison pulled him into her arms and her gripped her tightly, his arm brushing her stitches.

"Hey come on bud. It's not your fault. It's the bad guys fault and daddy and everyone else will take care of that. I got a little booboo and that's it. Look, it's all patched up and I'm gonna be all better soon." Abel pulled away and looked at her arm.

"Promise?" He sniffed.

"I promise baby." She kissed the top of his head. "Now why don't we eat this yummy food so I can go find those cookies huh?" Abel turned in her lap and grabbed a half of the sandwich. Ripping a chunk off he handed it to Madison and she laughed as she took it. "Well thank you Abel. You are very good at sharing."

"Madison." Madison looked at Jax as he handed Thomas off to Tara. Without another word he walked over and kissed the side of her head. "Thank you so much. I don't know what….just thank you." Madison nodded and Jax knew that it was ok. He walked over to where the guys were sitting and talking in a group. She was about to turn her attention back to Abel when she caught sight of Gemma. The color had been drained from her face and it was apparent she had been crying.

"I'll be right back sweetie, okay? I'm gonna go find those cookies." She slid Abel into the chair and pushed it in for him before walking towards Gemma. Gemma pushed off the bar and closed the few steps. Madison searched for the words to say but came up with nothing. It shocked her completely when Gemma wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"Thank you Madison. You saved my grandbaby. He might have…Jax might have gotten there too late."

"I'll do anything to keep the people here safe. You are doing the same for me Gemma and you don't even know me."

"You sped past Jax like that Sonic thing."

"Yea, I was on the track team in middle and high school. I still run most mornings." She explained.

"Well your hobby just saved my family. You've earned your place here, Old Lady or not." She hugged her one more time and walked in to the arms of a white haired man. Madison smiled tentatively at them and the man shot her a smile and nod back. Madison wasted no more time in getting into the kitchen to find the cookies for Abel. They were still a little warm on the cooling rack. Placing a couple on a plate Madison found her way back to Abel who had just finished his lunch. Placing the cookies down on the table she reached for Thomas who Tara was happy to hand over.

"I'm going to run and use the bathroom." Madison nodded and cooed to the little boy in her arms. She was too busy talking to the baby and Abel to notice that Opie had come downstairs.

"Would you take a look at that Ope? She's terrific with kids and has already earned a spot in the Gemma circle. I'd say that's Old Lady material." Tara patted him on the back as she made her way back to her boys. Opie thought about how Gemma and Jax had described Madison tearing across the pavement to get to Jax's kid. He didn't love her. He didn't even know if he liked her in a way that she could become his Old Lady. The pain of Donna and his kids still fresh in his mind he shook his head and stormed out to climb on his bike. He needed some time to think.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: You guys are so amazing. Thank you all for your reviews and adding my story to your lists. 3 I did have a question on where Ope's kids were and in this chapter you will find out._

Because of the drive by no one was allowed to wander the parking lot, keeping the kids and Madison inside. Needless to say, they were restless. There was only so much you could do with an infant and a toddler in a small space for hours. Madison asked Chibs and Juice if they could pick up large rolls of paper, like the industrial ones. Of course this meant taking the van instead of their bikes. She knew that for them it was like being in a metal cage. When she had first heard one of the guys talking about "taking the cage" she had asked Jax who explained it meant anything that wasn't a bike. Maddie asked Chibs and Juice because they seemed to be the two least likely to be upset about it. Armed with like a hundred markers and crayons Madison unrolled a large strip and cut it, laying it out across the floor where she had pushed aside tables. Abel was just waking from a nap when Madison finished cutting and she looked up smiling. Abel came running over but stopped at the top of the paper.

"What are you doing?" He asked his blue eyes on hers.

"I am getting ready for you. See this big long paper? We can trace your body then draw clothes and a face on it or draw whatever we would like. Kind of like a big poster." She held out a green marker and that was all it took for Abel to start drawing.

"Will you trace me Maddie?" He asked. Madison nodded and Abel lay down on the paper. Madison traced the boy's outline then sat back. "Now you!" He said, very excited after seeing his. Madison laughed and pressed her back to the paper as the little boy scooted around her. When she sat back up she saw that he had done a remarkable job for a little boy.

"Abel it looks great!" He jumped up and down before he laid down on his stomach to draw clothes on his outline. Madison started writing Abel's and hers name in a silly font when Opie and Jax walked in. Jax smiled and started walking over while Opie went right to the bar. He smile fell off Madison's face and she pretended to not have noticed his behavior. For two days now it had been like this. Madison would go to sleep alone and wake to find him sleeping next to her. She would silently slip out of bed and get ready for the day. Neither one talked to each other, hardly even looked at each other. Madison spent every moment she could with Abel and Thomas or writing on her laptop. When asked what she was doing she always closed it and just shook her head.

"Hey Mads. Hi Abel." Jax stood above them. Abel merely waved before continuing his drawing while Madison stood and brushed her jeans off. "He seems to be really happy with this idea."

"We needed something to do. Do you think you'll lift the ban soon so we can go outside? It feels like the only time I get to see the sun is when that door opens." Madison's eyes scanned the area near the door before landing on Opie who was in a conversation with Chibs and Happy close by.

"You two still on the outs?" Jax followed her gaze.

"We aren't on the outs Jax. To be on the outs there has to be some kind of relationship." When Opie looked up and found her watching him Madison turned away and looked back at the little boy who was now coloring in her outline.

"Mads…Opie has been through a lot. He doesn't know how to handle feelings anymore." Jax placed his hand on her back and rubbed gently.

"That's not even it. We aren't together. We are hardly even friends. Once this whole thing is over we won't even see each other the way we did before." She argued.

"I dunno if you have seen the way he looks at you." Her pointed look had him stop. "Alright. I'm just saying. He lost a lot a few years ago. He hasn't been the same since."

"What do you mean?" He motioned for her to sit down at the closest table. "He lost his entire life Mads. We weren't even in Charming when he got the call. There had been an accident with his wife and kids. Some truck hit them, flipped the car. No one survived. Since then Opie has shut a part of himself down. He doesn't show affection to anyone anymore. Not even Abel or Thomas. He used to take Abel out all of the time with his kids. Now it's like it's too painful to even look at my son. Everything he does he does for the club, no one else. He doesn't even talk to me like he used to. The first time I had seen a spark of my old best friend was in your house when you told us to leave you. It's been the first time in years that he was himself, even for a second." Madison shook her head not wanting to believe that what Jax was saying could be true. Her heart broke for Opie, for what he lost. She knew that pain all too well. She could understand someone changing because of a loss. She herself had been just like that when she lost Callum. But she knew that life had to go on, if not for her, for her sanity. It was different though wasn't it? He had lost three people. His life. Madison had lost Cal. Her whole life.

"Just because you saw him get mad doesn't mean anything Jax." Madison swallowed, her eyes locking on Opie's bent head as he read something on the laptop in front of him. "You don't understand the situation we had before this. I was never supposed to meet any of you. None of you were supposed to know who I was. No one was." He had promised her that she would be kept away from the club, away from the drama. Promises that had been broken the morning his club showed up on her doorstep. "It was never supposed to be like this." Madison ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Her eyes trailed away from Opie and back to Abel.

"I think things have changed and I am sorry for having to drag you into all of this. Ope never would have brought you here if he didn't care though Mads. Whether you want to believe it or not, he does care about you. Love isn't…."

"Don't. Don't start throwing the L word around like that's possible between me and Opie. I told you. We are hardly even friends and now being stuck here has proved that further. I want to go home Jackson. I don't belong here." Her eyes held his as she cut him off, her voice sturdy and hollow. "If this isn't done by tomorrow morning I am going home." To end the conversation she stood and walked away into the kitchen leaving Jax to tell the guys they needed to figure this shit out.

It had been a shit few days, things between Madison and Opie tense and quiet. She never spoke to him, hell she made it a point to be out of bed and away from him before he even woke up. It was fair though. He never came to bed with her anymore. Only joined her when he needed to sleep. The look on her face the day she had been shot seeped into his nightmares night after night. She had been so hurt, so angry. And what surprised Opie even more was that it hurt him knowing he had hurt her. He hated the pain that stayed in his chest knowing she was upset and hated him. He hadn't touched another croweater but it didn't matter. He hadn't been there when she had gotten hurt. She could have been killed but he was too busy burying his dick in some slut. Opie hadn't felt guilt since the death of his family. He hated how much this was bothering him so he hid it behind a poor attitude and alcohol. Even now, as Madison talked to Jax and played with his kids Opie was counting down the days until he could no longer feel the guilt. Madison looked up and her eyes locked on his. He hadn't even realized he was staring at her. Her eyes shot away quickly and he wanted to throw something at her. He wanted to talk to her, to say he was sorry or something but she wouldn't even give him that. She was always with the kids or sleeping or cooking. It was like she took over the role of house mom or something. Granted, when he was in the room with her he was rude and glared at her. He could see the conversation between Jax and Madison getting heated and he wanted to step in. _Defend her_. Defend? There was nothing to defend. They weren't a couple and he hardly cared for her. _Fuck man._ This was becoming too damn annoying. The urge to scoop her up and kiss her and beg for forgiveness was overwhelming and aggravating. She had made it pretty clear in the note she had left him the morning after the incident that they were done once this was over with and she went home. He wanted Madison stomp off to the kitchen and held his breath. Jax looked over at him and it was clear he wasn't happy. Opie reluctantly got up and walked over to his best friend.

"Ope, I dunno what the hell is going on but you gotta fix this or she is taking off tomorrow whether we have caught the asshole or not." The look on Jax's face was strictly friendship. He always wore the President one when discussing serious matters like this one. Opie knew he was trying to watch out more for Opie than the club in that moment. Knowing this was only going to happen once he nodded and clapped Jax on the back before walking into the kitchen. Maddie was busy mixing batter in a huge bowl; another one sitting beside her already mixed. It was too easy to miss the crying at first. She was mixing so hard that the plastic spoon kept hitting the bowl, covering the sound. When she paused to wipe her face with her sleeve he could hear the sniffling. It seemed like when she picked up the mixing she was going harder than before. He took a few steps forward and just stood behind her for a minute before placing his hands on her shoulders. He felt her jump a little but instantly relax.

She knew those hands. They never caused her harm or scared her. They were the most comfortable thing she had in life. Placing the bowl on the counter she slid easily from them to grab a few square pie pans. She didn't want to allow herself even a second to think he cared. Dumping the brownie mix into two of the four pans she evened them out before reaching for the second one. Opie slid in and snatched the bowl to do it himself. Madison stared at the side of his face as he mimicked her actions perfectly. Trying not to show her surprise she took the two she had done to the stove and put them in. Again, Opie was right there with the next two. Once all four were safe inside the oven she closed it and started the timer. Turning to leave the kitchen Opie grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Please." His voice was soft. Madison's shoulders slumped in defeat and she turned around, tears already welling in her eyes. Closing the distance Opie rubbed his thumb along the trail of one that slipped down her cheek. A small sob erupted from her throat and he wasted no time in gathering her into his arms. She didn't resist. She didn't have it in her. Instead she laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry Madison." He whispered as she cried.

"Me too. This….none of this was supposed to end up like this." She mumbled into his chest. Madison wasn't sure if she meant the threat or them. She cared for Opie Winston.

Opie watched from the side, smiling at the scene before him. Madison had Abel in her lap as they decorated the sheet of brownies with icing. She was writing their initials as he drew a happy face in the corner. When he squeezed the bag as it was aimed above it shot Maddie with a blob of blue icing. Abel looked terrified for a moment but when Madison started laughing, he did too. Soon enough it turned into an icing fight. Colors of green, blue, purple, red and yellow were smeared all over the two and on the floor. Madison slipped and hit the floor and Abel took the opportunity to jump on her and shoot her with the red. Everyone was laughing as she pretended to try and get away, only to get more on her. Tara and Jax entered and saw the scene. He wasn't sure what they would say or do. The place was a mess and so weren't the two on the floor. Tara burst out laughing and Jax yelled for Juice's camera. Eventually the icing ran out and both Abel and Madison lay on the floor gasping for air, covered from head to toe. No one wanted to go near the two, afraid they would fall in the mess. Tara called to Abel to take him to get cleaned up and Madison grabbed a bucket of warm soapy water and the mop. She had just started on the floor when Opie grabbed the mop from her hand and handed it off to a prospect. "You aren't cleaning that." She tried to get around him to get back to cleaning.

"Ope. I made the mess, I'll clean it." She argued.

"Nope. You need to go shower. Like now." She kept trying to get around him but every time he would block her. After a few of these he got bored and threw her over his shoulder. Heading for the stairs the guys hooted and hollered and Madison flipped them off. Opie kicked open the door to their room and went right to the shower and turned it on. Once it was at an acceptable temperature he tossed Maddie in, clothes and all.

"OPIE!" She screamed and tried to get out. He pushed her back in and smiled.

"Babe, you are covered in crap. Rinse your clothes off and take them off. I'll stand right here and toss them in the laundry." She made a face and he just smiled at her. Without another argument Maddie got back under the spray and tried to wash the icing off. Once most of it was off she wrung them out best she could and handed them to Opie. She could hear him tossing them into the basket of laundry as she began scrubbing it from her hair. She was just rinsing her second rinse when she heard someone slamming on the bathroom door yelling. Quickly finishing she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out to find Opie shirtless, pants unbuckled and unzipped holding his finger to his mouth. Madison looked at him with a terrified look as he put his hand on the doorknob and yanked it open. A cop stood on the other side with two others behind him. They yanked Opie from the bathroom and a female came in and grabbed Madison.

"What the hell is going on?" Madison yelled trying to free herself from the cop. She could see the others struggling with Opie. "I need fucking clothes!" She yelled in the officer's face.

"Hurry the hell up." She released Madison and she wasted no time in yanking on a pair of jean shorts and a SOA shirt over undergarments right in front of the cop.

"What?" She snapped. The cop shook her head but blushed nonetheless. Grabbing Madison again she pulled her downstairs. Everyone was on the ground, hands above their heads. Abel and Thomas were still with Tara but the boys were crying loudly. She tried to make her way over to them but the cop yanked her in the opposite direction.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Opie yelled at the cop but the one standing above him kicked him in the side. Madison shoved the female and ran for Opie. Another officer stepped in front of her and punched her right in the face. Madison fell back but pushed herself back up and lunged again. The female came up behind her and shoved her down to the ground, her knee painfully digging in to her back.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Jax asked from his position on the floor.

"Armed robbery over in Lodi. Clerk said they had Reapers on their backs. Two males and a female fighting the description of this Opie here, this feisty one here, and a young Puerto Rican." A cop paced in front of them, his eyes bouncing between Juice, Opie and Maddie. Madison felt the cool steal against her wrists as the cuffs were put on her, Opie and Juice. The cop tugged her up by the cuffs and she cried out. Her eye had swollen almost shut and hurt like a bitch. Opie struggled against his cuffs, his eyes on Madison.

"Maddie!" Abel yelled and ran for her. His little arms latched around her legs and the cop moved her hand from the cuffs to her shoulder. Madison dropped down to one knee and kissed Abel's forehead.

"It's okay sweetie. The cops are just confused. I'll be back soon okay? I need you to stay with Mommy though. Don't cry okay? I'm okay."

"But he hit you!" His fingers touched the bruise and she flinched.

"It's okay Abel. He…he didn't mean to." Her eyes cut to the officer, sending him a glare. "Please go see Mommy. I'll see you soon. I…I love you." His arms wound around her neck tightly.

"I love you too Maddie." Tears filled her eyes as Tara stepped forward, tears in her own as she struggled to pull Abel from her. Jax took Abel in his arms and held him tight as the child cried and screamed. Madison shut her eyes tight as she stood and began walking with the cop. Her heart was breaking at the sound of Abel. She got into the paddy wagon, Juice and Opie on the opposite side separated by a metal fence.

"You okay babe?" Opie asked leaning forward a little. Maddie sniffed and nodded.

"Abel…" She shook her head.

"I know baby. He'll be okay. Jax will figure this shit out and we'll be out soon. Once we are I'm gonna get my hands on the asshole that hit you."

"Don't Opie. I don't need you in more trouble. Please." Opie wanted to argue with her, to fight on how he deserved more than what Opie intended to give him but he couldn't.

"Madison. Look at me. I…sorry isn't gonna cut my behavior. Not today or the day you were shot. I shouldn't have been anywhere near that gash. We promised this would be strictly physical but shit changed. I really do care about you." Madison looked at Opie with her good eye.

"I care about you too."

"What about me?" Juice asked. The two laughed.

"I care about you too Juan." More laughter ran out when Juice made a face at Madison for using his real name. She hated calling him Juice. The ride wasn't long and they soon arrived. The men were brought into a separate area to be booked, leaving Madison by herself. Sighing she sat down in the chair and answered the stupid questions they asked. They snapped a few pictures then put her in a holding cell. It was cold as heck in there with just her shorts and t shirt. She was just beginning to doze off when she heard the cell being unlocked. Opening her eyes she found the Sherriff Roosevelt eyeing her.

"We need to talk." He simple stated then motioned her to come to him. With a sigh she pushed herself off the bench and over to him. "They left the cuffs on?" He turned her and unlatched them. Rubbing her sore wrists he placed a gentle hand on her back and led her to his office. Once seated he placed a hot cup of coffee in front of her and handed her a Charming PD zip up. "I apologize for the way you were treated. Someone should have taken those off in booking." He sat down behind his desk and watched her carefully as she sipped the hot liquid slowly.

"And my eye?" Madison raised an eyebrow at him. The Sherriff sighed and sat further back in his chair.

"All for the sake of work Maddie? I dunno. What do you want me to say? You weren't supposed to fight back. How many times in our training were you told that?" She rolled her eyes and shrugged herself further into the sweater.

"Oh I dunno, maybe as many as you?" She countered.

"Come on Maddie. You are an agent. You either start giving us stuff to work with our your off the case. It's been almost three goddamn years and you just now got in the clubhouse? Ryans is pissed."

"Ryans can shove it. I told him it was going to take a while. You can't just stroll up and get in there."

"He did give you the option as a croweater. It's not like what you are doing is much different. You are sleeping with one of them aren't you? That Harry Winston?"

"Opie. And if I am it is none of your concern." Her eyes darkened as they held his. "Now are you going to let us go on some bullshit story or do I have to spend the night here?" She slammed the cup down and waited for him to answer.

"Yea. You three can go. Just remember Grey, time is ticking." Turning on her heel Madison stormed out of the room and to the front where the two men were being uncuffed.

"Madison are you okay?" Opie rushed over to her and took her face gently in his hands.

"I'm fine Ope. It doesn't hurt much now. Let's just get the hell out of here." She tried to smile at him. Gently pulling away she led the two outside to where Happy was waiting with the van for them. The ride home was quiet. Juice and Opie tossed thoughts back and forth on who had framed them but Madison stayed out of it. Guilt was eating at her heart and the second they got to the clubhouse she tore out of the van and into the bathroom. Emptying her stomach of all contents she rinsed her mouth out and pressed her back on the wall. Sliding down until she was on the floor she started crying. This was only supposed to be a job. She wasn't supposed to give a damn about any of them. The whole reason she had even joined the FBI was to nail them. All those years ago…it was just luck that Opie had chosen her. Of course it didn't help that she had made it a habit to be where he was.

"Madison?" Tara's head poked in and her face fell when she saw Maddie on the floor. Quickly entering and shutting the door she sat down next to Madison. "It's going to be okay. Jax will figure this out." She smoothed Madion's hair back and kissed the side of her head. "Now come on. Clean up a little and come out. There is a little boy who is dying to see you. He's even started telling everyone that you're his aunt." Tara smiled and helped Madison up. Wiping her face she smiled but it hurt. These people were becoming family.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I know I've been a horrible person and neglected this along with my other stories and I apologize. I'm still trying to get back into the flow of things. And thanks to the haters. You really do inspire me to keep writing whatever I want J Go ahead and flag my story. I'll repost it. Again. And again. And again. For the readers who love my stories and always send me feedback. Yes, I should take the bad with the good but when you are flat out rude I certainly won't. Be respectful. By the way, I realized that I changed her son's name from Jamie to Callum. I'm sorry for the eff up, his name is Jamie.

The next week was an emotionless blur. Maddie did her best to act like she was fine but today was just one of the days she couldn't fight through it. She had played with Abel, shopped with Tara, talked to Opie but she felt like the façade she had been building for three years was fading quickly. She currently lay in the bed of Opie's dorm staring at the ceiling as her ipod played from the dock on the nightstand. Everyone was downstairs working and more than likely trying to find out who had threatened the women of the club. Jax has deemed it safe enough to send Tara and the boys home and had offered Maddie a place there. Just the thought of a real home and being with boys almost had her accepting the offer, but Roosevelt's threat to yank her off the case hung in the air. Reluctantly she declined the offer and stayed in the clubhouse. She had hardly seen Opie since they had left the station and maybe it was better that way. She needed to clear her head of these "feelings" for the biker and get her head back to business.

With a sigh she turned her head to the door as Opie came in. She offered him a small smile but stayed where she was. Madison hated how her heart sped up at the mere sight of him. Wordlessly he took his cut off and placed it on the dresser along with his gun and knife. Madison's eyes stayed locked on his as he walked over to the bed and lay down beside her. He reached out to stroke her cheek gently and she turned so she was on her side facing him. She was in so much trouble.

"Come for a ride with me." He spoke softly, his fingers smoothing her hair from her face. She leaned into his touch, moved closer even. Madison's brain was screaming at her, telling her to cut the shit but her body betrayed her.

"Where? Don't you have work to do?" Her eyes scanned his face taking every little crease and scar in. Opie shook his head.

"Jax gave me the rest of the afternoon off to spend with you." Madison melted on the spot when he smiled. She bit down on her lip to try and keep from smiling like a fool. His fingers moved from her hair to where her eye was now healing. It was an ugly yellow green color but she knew it would be gone soon. She turned her head away and let her eyes find an interesting spot on the ceiling. "Why ya gotta do that Mads?" Gritting her teeth together Madison sat up and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Running the water in the sink she splashed some water on her face and closed her eyes. No, she wasn't going to do this. _Get a hold of yourself Madison! You have a goddamn job to do! Don't you dare forget what they did to Tommy. Don't you dare for one second think they are capable of feeling anything other than revenge and spite._ The young woman reached for the towel and dried her face. When she looked up she found Opie stand behind her watching her carefully. Avoiding his eyes she looked back down at the sink, towel gripped tightly in her hands. Opie moved forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, his lips pressed to the back of her head. Subconsciously Madison leaned back into his chest.

"I know things have been pretty hard this past week but please don't push me away. I thought we got over what happened. I thought we were okay." His deep voice was sweet and caring. It cut Maddie right to her heart. Turning she pressed her lower back against the sink and put her hands against Opie's chest.

"We did and we are. I'm just…it's a lot to take in. We went from being this secret thing that happened to not be such a secret to suddenly out in the open and there's….there's more involved now. There's more at stake. We didn't….I didn't think I was…" She trailed off shaking her head. "I wasn't supposed to care so much." She finally said. Opie gently lifted her face so he could look in her eyes.

"I'm with you on that but at least you know that I do too. I care about you too Madison." Tears filled the woman's eyes and she tried to move her face away from the bikers. "No, don't do that. Don't hide anything from me anymore. I want all of you, the good and the bad." This brought even more tears to her eyes and she buried her face in Opie's chest. His arms came around to hold her tight to him as she cried softly. "Everything's gonna be okay. We are gonna find the fucks who threatened you and the others, take care of it and then we can figure the rest of this out. I hope you still want to be in my life after." Pulling herself away a little she looked at him with a tear stained face. Her hand moved to cup his cheek.

"I already know I do." She gave him a small smile before pressing her lips against his. Opie's hands moved to her hair where his fingers tangled it tightly before pulling her head back so he could reach her neck. A soft sigh escaped Madison's lips as he slowly kissed his way along her neck before nipping at her collar bone. Her hands slid underneath his shirt and tugged upward. Releasing her long enough to discard his shirt along with hers Opie pulled her back to him. His hips pressed against hers, pinning them to the sink behind her. He ground his arousal into her and Madison let out a low whimper. Her hands maneuvered between them to get to his belt, quickly wrenching it open. Their movements were becoming needier, quicker.

"Maddie! Look what Daddy got me!" The couple pulled apart and turned to find Abel running into the bathroom holding something. Madison ducked behind Opie and peered over his shoulder. Before she could say anything Tara came running in and covered his eyes.

"I am so sorry. He's a lot quicker than people think. I turned my back for two seconds." She gushed out an apology. "Abel I told you to wait for Maddie to come downstairs." She gathered the boy into her arms.

"I know but I got too excited. How come Opie was attacking Maddie?" Madison tried not to laugh.

"No sweetie, Opie wasn't attacking her he um…" She shot a look at the couple.

"I was trying to help her with her necklace kiddo. It got stuck in her hair." He lied smoothly still covering Madison.

"Then why is your shirt on the floor?" This time Madison did laugh. Tara's face turned bright red and she rushed out of the room with the child. You could hear her sputtering some kind of explanation as she left. With a groan Madison pressed her forehead against Opie's back.

"Babe, this is killing me." Opie turned around. She pouted.

"I know, me too but I kind lost it." She confessed. Opie nodded in agreement.

"Yea, something about a kid running in like that…" Something flashed across his face but it left as quickly as it came. They pulled on their shirts and straightened themselves out before walking downstairs. Madison couldn't help the surprise when Opie took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. When they reached the bottom he didn't let go like she thought he would. Instead he tugged her over to Abel. When the little boy spotted Madison he came running and threw himself at her legs.

"Maddie! Daddy bought me a really cool toy!" He pointed at the table where a remote was sitting. On the floor was a car.

"That's really cool Abel." She smiled and pulled him up into her arms.

"You have to try it! It's so awesome!"

"Actually sweetie, I was hoping to steal Maddie for a little bit. Mommy wants some girl time." Tara cut in before Madison could answer.

"But who will play with me?" The little boy pouted.

"I will." Opie stepped forward smiling. Tara's mouth fell open but she quickly recovered.

"Really?!" Abel squirmed around in Madison's arms and she put him down. The second his feet hit the floor he launched himself at Opie. A light giggle escaped her mouth as Opie picked the boy up.

"You betcha." Tara took the opportunity to tug on Madison's sleeve and jerk her head towards the door. The two women took advantage of the distraction to make it outside and into the sun. Madison groaned in satisfaction as it warmed her skin.

"You have no idea how nice this feels."

"You'd see it a lot more if you came and stayed at my house." Tara raised an eyebrow at her.

"I know, I just don't want to leave Opie right now. Things are so weird between us with everything that's been going on." She tried to explain.

"No I totally understand. " She held her hands up. Tara headed for a car in the lot, pulling the keys from her pocket.

"Aren't we going to get into trouble? I'm not supposed to leave without a chaperone."

"Not if we get out of here quick." She shot a look to her partner in crime. Madison smiled and they rushed to the car. Getting in they started it up and quickly made their way out of the parking lot. "I'm sorry for dragging you out like this; I just can't stand to be cooped up anymore. If I'm not stuck inside at home, I'm stuck inside the clubhouse. I needed to get out and I really do need girl time. Gemma has been so busy with the garage lately. It's like everyone needs repairs all at once." Tara slowed down a little as they got further away from the garage without the sound of a bike. With a sigh of relief Tara kept driving past houses and stores.

"It feels sort of unreal to be out of the clubhouse." Maddie commented. She couldn't remember the last time she had been out of the parking lot. Tara nodded in agreement before turning the car into the lot of the small strip mall of the town. It wasn't much, hardly anything to be honest. There was a small restaurant, a few stores that sold clothes and one that sold the most random things someone made. It reminded Madison of the stores that sold gaudy little trinkets at the beach. People would make little rock people or glue googly eyes to sea shells.

"I figured some lunch and shopping might do us good." Tara smiled as she and Maddie climbed out of the car and headed to the closest clothes store. After a good two hours of clothes shopping and many bags the girls headed to grab some food after dumping their purchases in the car. Once seated and ordered Madison became uneasy when she saw the look on Tara's face became serious. Maddie toyed with the straw in her iced tea and lowered her eyes to the table. "I want to talk about Opie." In a way Madison knew this was coming. The woman sitting across from her was married to his best friend. Of course she, at some point, would want to discuss the situation. "I just worry about him Madison. He's the uncle to my children, my husband's best friend. He is family." Madison knew all of this and she knew Tara didn't mean any harm but she still felt attacked. As she should. I mean here she was playing at being a good friend, a caring pseudo-aunt and yet her agenda was much darker. Guilt swarmed through her veins and she forced a smile.

"I know. I understand Tara and honestly it's no big deal. I…" She bit down on her lip for a moment trying to steady her voice. "I care about him. A lot. When we first started seeing each other, if you can even call it that, there were no feelings. Well not anything solid aside from the sexual attraction. I suppose two years later someone is bound to feel something." She let out a soft sigh and shrugged. There was no explaining whatever this thing was between her and the burly biker. It had to end soon anyway.

"I know he cares about you. The way he looks at you….he hasn't looked that way at anyone in a very long time Madison. You've been kind of distant since the raid. Are you sure everything is alright?" Maddie's eyes shot up to Tara's half expecting accusation in them but instead found concern.

"Yea, just scared me is all. I'm not used to the MC life. I was never supposed to become a part of it." The words were true albeit leaving out her involvement in the raid. Tara reached across the table and took Maddie's hand in hers.

"The Sons will protect you no matter what. You are family now." She smiled and Madison hated the warm tingly feeling she felt in her chest. The food came, saving the woman in having to reply or carry on the conversation any longer. They ate in relative silence until Tara's cellphone rang. She grimaced when she read the ID. Flipping it open she tried to sound cheerful. "Hey baby." The smile dropped from her face the second the person on the other line started speaking. More like yelling, as Maddie could hear a loud buzzing on the other side of the table. "Sorry I just needed to get out for a bit. It's been…." She was cut off. "I understand that Jax but…" Madison waved the waiter over and paid for the meal while Tara waited to speak. "Yea she's right here. We'll be back soon." Shutting the phone she sighed.

"Jax sounded pretty pissed."

"He's furious. Not with you though. With me for taking out with me when we are still under lock down. Well mostly a lock down." The girls began gathering their things and left for the car. There was no conversation as they drove back to the garage. Jax and Opie stood in front of the office door with their arms crossed looking pissed.

"Oh oh." Madison muttered.

"Good thing we made that extra stop huh?" Tara smirked and Madison nodded her head. Before coming home the girls made one last stop hoping it would soften the blow with their old men. Both ladies exited the now parked car as the men stalked forward. "Where are the boys?" She asked when Jax got nearer.

"With Gemma at her place. We need to talk." His face was serious as his eyes flickered towards Madison. _Oh shit. He knows. I'm screwed._ Maddie's hands tightened around the bags she was holding on to. Opie stepped forward and took Madison's arm in his large hand and pulled her towards the clubhouse. Wordlessly she allowed a prospect to take her bags as he brought her into the room where the boys held church. Her heart leapt into her throat as he pushed her gently into a chair before taking a seat himself. Jax and Tara did the same thing. The room was silent as Opie pulled his gun and placed it on the table in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Thank you all for your support! I love you all very much so here you go!_

The room felt stifling and Madison couldn't catch her breath. She was going to be shot, going to be killed right here in the room they called a chapel. She was going to have her life end at the hand of a biker like Tommy did. Swallowing hard, her trembling hands hidden in her lap she waited for someone to say something, anything. If felt like forever before Jax finally spoke.

"While you two were out gallivanting this afternoon we got some information we thought you'd be interested in. Especially you Madison." His eyes were hard and she knew all personal shit was out the window and he was in full President mode.

"What's going on here Jax?" Tara asked, her eyes flipping from her husband to Maddie and back.

"Madison's phone kept ringing this afternoon so Opie picked it up. An Agent Markoff asked for you. Funny thing is he didn't wait for you to say hello before he started flipping about Roosevelt and some guy Ryans." Madison felt like she was going to be sick. Her eyes moved to Opie's who had glossed over. She was terrified by what she saw. He was like an entirely different person. He sat forward, his hand moving over the gun as a threat. "You gonna explain why an Agent is calling your phone and why how you know our Sherrif?" Madison was trained for this. She had spent countless hours before coming up with lies on the spot. Anything to get out of a bad situation. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to relax. Acting as if this was nothing at all she let her shoulders slump from their previous tensed post and lifted her hands to rest on the table.

"Markoff was my brother's friend. Yes, he is an FBI Agent but he has no idea that I have anything to do with the Sons. Like I have said before, no one knew about me and Ope."

"Why is he calling your phone?"

"He does that, checks on me time to time. My brother died a few years ago, killed during some secret mission or something. It hit me hard and Markoff helped me through it. He's like family. When I don't pick up he tends to freak out and overreact." She shrugged it off.

"And Roosevelt?"

"I met him at a fundraiser years ago. We stayed friends and when he picked up as Sherriff here we reconnected a bit."

"You sleep with him?" Opie cut in. Madison's eyes shot to his.

"No Ope, I didn't sleep with him. I'm glad that's your concern right now."

"Back to Roosevelt." Jax butt in before the two could start fighting.

"He found out I was picked up with you guys, had someone bring me to his office. I told him we had nothing to do with the accusations. He knows I wouldn't lie to him so he let us go. You're welcome." Madison was trying to act annoyed by this the best she could. Jax let out a loud sigh and sat back in his seat.

"You need to understand we have to keep this club safe Madison. I don't know shit about you and you have a fucking Fed calling your phone. You are with my kids 90 percent of the time. You know some of what we do here I'm sure. I couldn't risk it."

"I completely understand but was the gun necessary?" She looked pointedly at the gun still under Opie's hand.

"Everything is necessary here." Tara had been quiet up until now but even as her husband spoke those words she stood.

"Can we go now? Since this has been cleared Maddie and I have things to put away and I'd like to see my boys." Jax didn't say anything, just stood, kissed Tara on the cheek and walked out with Opie right behind him. Opie hadn't even looked at Madison. Shakily the brunette stood and pushed her chair in. Tara didn't waste a second in wrapping her arms around Madison. "I'm sorry. Jax gets like this sometimes. His family and club are everything to him. He just gets a little overprotective."

"Don't worry about it. I should have told someone, even Opie about Roosevelt or my connection with the FBI." She waved off Tara's apologies on her husband's behalf. She didn't want to talk about it anymore, didn't want to slip up in the web of lies she was spinning. "I think I need to talk to Ope. You saw how he acted…" Tara nodded and led her out of the chapel.

"I'll be here for a little while longer if you need anything." Madison nodded her thank you. She couldn't trust her voice right now. She hadn't realized how attached to the people here she would become. She knew she should call Ryans or even Markoff and tell them she wanted off the case but she knew damn well they would just slip someone else in to take the MC down. Could she really let that happen now? At least with her on the inside she could bid them some time, maybe even stop this altogether. _But Tommy. You forget why you're here. Distance yourself Madison or you will end up just like him._

Madison found Opie in the garage working on a car. His head and torso were blocked by the car he was lying underneath. She gently kicked the side of the rolling board he was lying on and called his name. "Ope?" His movements stopped and he pulled himself out from underneath the car. Instead of talking to her or even looking at her he moved around her and started tinkering with something under the propped open hood. Madison looked around at the other two club members who were watching them and sighed. "Opie I want to talk to you, please." She moved to stand aside him and he still didn't say a word. Grabbing his wrist as it was tweaking something on the engine he finally stopped moving. "Talk to me." With a yank he wrenched his wrist from her hand and started working again. "Fine. I'm going home. Don't call me anymore." Madison turned on her heel and slammed into Jax. "Sorry." She muttered before jogging out into the parking lot.

"What was that about?" Jax asked as Opie finally stood straight and watched her retreating figure.

"She's going home. Where she belongs." He grunted before reaching for a wrench. Jax knocked his hand aside and shoved his friend back a step.

"What the fuck Ope? I understand you are pissed that she didn't tell you but do you really think her going home is a good idea? She has no idea about that email. You're just gonna let her go like that?"

"She has Fed friends. She will be just fine." Jax stood there staring at his best friend for a moment before turning and leaving.

Everything was exactly the same as she had left it. Nothing had been touched or moved since the night she had left. Had that only been maybe three weeks ago? It felt like forever. Madison had left the sheets on Opie's bed, not wanting them anymore. It had taken her not even five minutes to collect her things and have a prospect help her with packing her car. She explained quickly to Tara that she was heading home and would call her later and then she was gone. It wasn't until she had cleaned the coffee cups, scrubbed the bathroom and had begun making something for dinner than she realized she felt a hollow emptiness in her chest. She stood staring out the small window above the sink out into the pitch black darkness. All sound had faded and her eyes began focusing on her reflection staring back at her. Everything had changed so much in the last month. How could time have passed so quickly? How could her entire life just turn itself inside out like this? As Madison stood there her face began to warp in the reflection. It stretched out forming another on her right. Squinting she watched as the features formed. Dark eyes and hair. Scars. Mouth open, hand coming up aside her. Madison screamed realizing there was someone else there. Turning she grabbed the pan from the drying rack and swung. The person didn't collapse but took a few steps backward clutching his head.

"Chris' almighty girly. I've been callin' yer name fer five minutes now. Didn' need ta swing at me." Madison held the pan in front of her ready to swing again but the accent caught her attention.

"Chibs?" Madison slowly lowered the pan, breathing heavily. What the hell was he doing in her house? How did she not hear his bike, let alone not hear him come in?

"Aye. Now why don' ya put the pan down?" He stood straighter, clutching the side of his head where you could already see a large purple bump. Maddie placed the pan down on the counter.

"What are you doing here?" She crossed the kitchen and grabbed a package of frozen veggies from the freezer and handed them to Chibs. "I don't own ice packs, sorry." He took it and held it to his head as he plopped himself down in a chair at the breakfast bar.

"Jax asked me ta check on ya. Said ya went home." His last statement had a hint of a question in it. Maddie shrugged and turned to pull the chicken from the oven. Placing it on the stove she began dishing out two plates, her back staying turned towards the biker.

"Figured I should. I'm sure you know what went down behind those doors today. I needed to come home, safe or not." Pushing a plate across the small bar she stood against the other side and shoved a fork full of food in her mouth. "He pulled a gun on my Chibs. He was so quick to assume I was a bad guy and even after I explained he wouldn't talk to me. I don't want to play games anymore. We were never supposed to be together like this anyway." She tried to act like it was nothing but she felt a pain in her chest that she had only felt twice before. Chibs knew that women felt more than they let on but he also knew not to push the boundaries too much either.

"Neva shoulda pulled a gun on ya but listening…Ope doesn' do tha well. Bit of a hot head. He'll come aroun'" Chibs said between bites. He liked Madison, thought she was good for his brother. The only problem was getting Opie to truly let her in. After the death of his family nothing had ever been the same for the gentle giant. He had become a cold, ruthless man. He would kill without thinking, diving into gunfire, just laughed in the face of danger. And yet, the last few runs he had been much more cautious, careful even, and Chibs wanted to say it was because of this young woman standing in front of him. It may have started off as just a physical thing but he had seen the way his brother had looked at her. It was in lust or desire. There had been true feelings in his eye and he had seen it mirrored in hers. It pissed him off to no end that the two couldn't just come to terms with what they were hiding and try being together. He hated that Opie had driven her off the lot at Teller Morrow with his stubbornness and pride. Being forced to be together for the past month had forced them to come to terms with the situation. There had been no choice but to realize that they cared for one another, to act like a couple nearing the end. Now with her home they could either go back to being fuck buddies or stop talking altogether and Chibs didn't want that. He knew the other guys didn't either. He had spoken briefly about Opie's change to Jax and Tig. Even Happy agreed that he liked having her around. Despite them trying to keep it a secret the guys felt as if she was already becoming family. Hell, look how she connected with Abel and Thomas. Even Gemma! Gemma who kept her heart guarded and rock hard had bent to the affection that Madison showed everyone. It had taken years for Gemma to show even the tiniest bit of acceptance to Tara and yet Maddie had gained it in a month. Something had to be done before it was too late.

"This is good. I should come ova more often." He joked which elicited a small laugh from the girl. "It's good ta see ya smile." Madison's eyes left her plate and landed on Chibs'.

"Can I ask you something?" He nodded and her eyes flicked around the room before settling on his again slowly. "I'm such an ass for asking but how did you get those scars?" Madison didn't miss the flash of something in his eyes but it had been gone too soon for her to catch what it had been.

"Luv. Ulitmately it was luv tha' gave me them. Fiona and I…tis is tha last now. The man tha gave me them is dead, I killed him myself. He took my Fiona and daughter from me, banished me from mah 'ome. All because I luved her." He smiled at the memory of his wife and daughter. Even since the death of Jimmy he was slowly rebuilding his relationship with them and couldn't have asked for anything more. Even though they were still in Ireland they had never been closer.

"Love sounds like it sucks." Madison grunted.

"Aye lass, it does but I promise it doesn'. Haven' ya ever been in luv?" Madison shook her head instantly, her answer quick. "Come on now." Madison sighed and moved around the bar to sit down next to Chibs, leaving her food abandoned.

"I wasn't in love with Jeremy when I got pregnant with Jamie. I had thought I was but now looking back I really wasn't. It wasn't until things got really bad with Jamie that I realized it. Jer took off leaving me alone with my baby, alone to go through….to…." Madison's voice cracked and she stopped talking knowing she was going to cry. Chibs slid his chair closer and pulled her into his arms.

"It's alrigh' lass."

"I was completely alone Chibs. It had never been love. After Jamie was gone I had nothing at all so I came here. I had been so careful to keep my heart closed off to everyone and then Opie came and…I hadn't cared that it was just sex. Sure, eventually I cared about him but it wasn't love. If he chose to walk away it wouldn't have bothered me and now…" Maddie wasn't sure if it was love but she imagined it might be close. The thought of not having Opie in her life let a sharp pain in her chest. Her mind wandered to her case and she sobered up quick. She had to let him go. She had to get him out of her life and do whatever she could to point the FBI away from them. Abruptly she pulled away from Chibs and wiped her face on the back of her hand. Hoping down from the chair she took his empty plate and hers to the sink. "It's in the past. All of it." She spoke softly but the biker heard her. Madison kept her back turned towards him until she heard him leave the room. Then she broke down in tears.


End file.
